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Earlier this week, I attended the confirmation hearing of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Outside, spring in the nation’s capital was in full bloom, with cherry blossoms dotting the landscape — signs of hope, growth, and new beginnings echoed in the liberative invitation of many faith traditions’ spring holidays, including Passover, Easter, and Holi. Inside at the hearing, the mood was equally hopeful: Jackson's nomination offers a new beginning — a new direction for the court and our country, and a hope for the future. While Jackson’s confirmation won’t change the conservative majority of the court, it will bring change. Jackson, if confirmed, would be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and the only justice on the court with first-hand experience as a public defender. Her background in public defense is important because it means Jackson is very familiar with how the decisions judges make impact everyday people. Her confirmation has the potential to change us as well, expanding what we imagine a Supreme Court justice looks like. For the first time, Black women will see someone who looks like them in a justice on the highest court in our nation — a broadening and deepening of the values and experiences brought to bear on the cases that impact our lives. This is justice. Deeply woven throughout my Jewish tradition is an understanding that our pursuit of a nonpartisan judiciary is, in its essence, the pursuit of justice. In the fifth book of the Torah, the famous injunction tzedek, tzedek, tirdof — “justice, justice, you shall pursue” — is situated in the context of verses imploring us to create a fair and impartial judiciary (Deuteronomy 16: 18-20). Our text and tradition communicate the importance of unbiased judges as well as fair and impartial courts. For the system to work for the people it serves, the federal courts must be devised of fair, qualified, and impartial judges who mete out just decisions equally. As the Torah guides, “You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly” (Leviticus 19:15).
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Our Latest Searching for ‘Appropriate’ Holocaust Stories Is a Mistake (by Katie Smart) School boards seeking to sanitize the horrors of the Holocaust allow antisemitism to fester in their communities and education. When God Feels Distant, ‘Attached to God’ Offers Helpful Guide (by Indhira Udofia) With relatable examples and tools for reflection, Krispin Mayfield uses attachment theory to help readers renegotiate their relationship with God. Will U.S. Support for Ukrainian Refugees Last? (by Sarah Einselen) Faith advocates say racism and xenophobia often play a part in shifting public opinions on accepting refugees. Christianity Today and the Sacred Work of Documentation (by Jenna Barnett) I can’t stop thinking about the thinness of Mark Galli’s personnel file. |
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From the Magazine To Love Our Jewish Neighbors Better, We Need to Know Them Better (by Chloe Specht) Why do Christians perpetuate negative stereotypes of Jewish religious life? |
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New article on sojo.net: Abuelita Theology, An Interview with Kat Armas “Reflecting on the women in the Bible is what helped me recognize abuelita faith so clearly. As I read Scripture through this lens, I began to see how so many women and their stories of survival mirrored the story of my abuela—particularly in how they lived out an embodied faith.” Read more on sojo.net A story of hope and healing. The Kit of Comfort is a suitcase full of carefully selected toys that assists Children's Disaster Service volunteers in caring for children who have experienced trauma following natural disasters. Volunteers arrive at disaster sites and are able to promote healing through creative, expressive play. |
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